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Thales Alenia Space has been selected by the United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAEAF) to develop the very-high-resolution payload for their Falcon Eye program, within the scope of a consortium led by Airbus Defense and Space.

This contract was officially signed by the United Arab Emirates in August 2014 and is now entering into force.

The contract includes building two satellites offering very-high-resolution optical capabilities and a ground system for monitoring, receiving and processing images, as well as a training program for the engineers from the United Arab Emirates who will control and operate the satellites once in orbit.

As the co-contractor, Thales Alenia Space is in charge of the high-performance, very-high-resolution optical payload, the image data transmission subsystem, the ground image processing system, and co-engineering and validation of the overall system.

The Falcon Eye contract confirms Thales Alenia Space's excellence in very-high-resolution optical instruments and systems, following the success of the Helios 1 and 2 and Pleiades programs. This leadership will be further reinforced through developments now under way for the MUSIS CSO program.

"This contract with the UAEAF culminates a long effort by our teams with a total support of the French Government, the French Ministry of Defense in particular. It underlines once again Thales Alenia Space's unique capabilities in high-resolution optical observation systems, whether for French defense applications or export markets. This partnership with Airbus Defense and Space combines the strong points of our two companies to stand up to the competition and bolster Europe's position in the global space industry." said Jean-Loïc Galle, President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space

About Thales Alenia Space

Thales Alenia Space (thalesaleniaspace.com), a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Finmeccanica (33%), is a key European player in space telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, exploration and orbital infrastructures. Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio form the two parent companies' “Space Alliance”, which offers a complete range of services and solutions. Because of its unrivaled expertise in dual (civil/military) missions, constellations, flexible payloads, altimetry, meteorology and high-resolution optical and radar instruments, Thales Alenia Space is the natural partner to countries that want to expand their space program. The company posted consolidated revenues in excess of 2 billion euros in 2013, and has 7,500 employees in six countries.

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